Nicky and I have just got back from our weekend in London, the main purpose of which was to go and see Les Miserables in the West End. This was my Mother's Day present for Nicky (thought of rather at the last minute as Mother's Day followed hot on the heels of Margaret's 60th birthday party).
We got the train from Chatham yesterday lunchtime, and got a cab from Victoria to our hotel, the Radisson Edwardian Hampshire on Leicester Square. We were able to check in straight away, and went up to our room - 205. It was at the back of the hotel, and as so often with rooms in London was rather small.
After a quick coffee it was back out for a recce, and having picked up a free map in Leicester Square we found that the Queens Theatre on Shaftsbury Avenue was indeed only a couple of minutes away. Then we went for a stroll up Regents Street, avoiding the dual temptations of both Hamleys and the Apple Store, and along Oxford Street to Selfidges. The main reason for the trip to Selfridges was to see if we could get some of Willy's Wonky Chocolate (as seen on the Channel 4 programme). We hunted high and low in the food hall but couldn't find it anywhere. Eventually we decided to ask, and a member of staff told us that a delivery had come in on Friday, but that it had sold out within the day! Apparently there is a Selfridges hotline that you can call for delivery information!
Still, the trip to Selfridges wasn't entirely in vain - we bought a corn bread kit for Nicky to make with Jake this week, and stocked up on a couple of squeezy bottles of Smuckers Grape Jelly! Makes us think of Orlando!
Wandering back towards our hotel we decided to cut the corner between Oxford and Regent Streets, and finding ourselves outside the Porsche dealership on Berkeley Square, I pointed out to Nicky what a Cayman looks like. It met with approval, and I'm told that yes I am allowed one.
Further down in Dover Street Nicky noticed a diner called Automat, and this looked like an excellent place to have an early tea before the show. Nicky had macaroni (and) cheese, and I had a cheeseburger. We shared a piece of cheesecake with our coffees.
We were back to the hotel in time for a quick drink before going back out to the theatre. Turns out that we were in row A, right at the front of the stalls, so we were in the midst of the action. Nicky has been wanting to go and see Les Miserables for a very long time, and I think it's fair to say that she enjoyed it. I knew very little about the show or the story, and I have to say that I thought that it was absolutely fantastic. I thoroughly enjoyed it and want to listen to the music again, go to the show again some day, and who knows, maybe I'll feel brave enough to give Victor Hugo's book a try.
We returned to our hotel after the show, congratulating each other on how nice it was not to have to go back to a station and get on a train home with the crowds.
This morning we had breakfast at the hotel. We had the full works - cereal, pastries, juice, full English, coffee and toast - marvellous. Breakfast was definitely the best bit about the hotel. The restaurant manager gave Nicky a comment card about the hotel to fill in whilst we ate - so she did! I think that she gave them something of a tough time about the rooms being a little run down, and bringing into question the hotel deserving all of its five stars.
After breakfast we wandered down the road and had a pleasant time looking around the National Portrait Gallery. Then up Charing Cross Road for a look in the bookshops (although we spent most time in Borders - and its Starbucks!) before a final mooch around and then back to the hotel to collect our case.
We wandered down to Charing Cross, having realised that it was far easier to get to than Victoria, only to discover that there were no Chatham trains due to the engineering works, so we cabbed it to Victoria to get the train home.
Took the camera with us ... and took no photos at all!
In other news, our massage chair arrived on Friday. We've already both been in it since getting home - easing aching backs from a none too comfy hotel bed!